


Expansion Theory

by Bright_Elen, misskatieleigh



Series: Celestial Mechanics [1]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Communication Issues, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Other, POV Bodhi Rook, POV Cassian Andor, POV K-2SO, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Robot Feels, Robot/Human Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 14:23:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11511240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bright_Elen/pseuds/Bright_Elen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/misskatieleigh/pseuds/misskatieleigh
Summary: Bodhi’s not used to this yet. Getting to be with Cassian, to touch him without immediately pulling away is a novelty. The fact that he’s very much aware of someone else’s desire to touch Cassian is something new also. Compounding that with the realization that he very much doesn’t mind the thought of a certain droid touching his - boyfriend? partner? - whatever they are, well, he’s certainly confused.





	Expansion Theory

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Artemis1000](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis1000/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Things Dreams Birth](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11383191) by [estelraca](https://archiveofourown.org/users/estelraca/pseuds/estelraca). 



> The lovely [estelraca](http://archiveofourown.org/users/estelraca/pseuds/estelraca) posted an amazing story about K-2 and Cassian's relationship, and, well, we couldn't stop thinking about what would happen next.

On Hoth, K-2 discovers several things about himself.

The first is how he works in low temperatures. The wind and snow are, of course, as much a hazard to him as they are to organics. He doesn’t do well with ice building up on his limbs or clogging his vents, but, once he’s inside away from the elements, he doesn’t appear to lose functionality from the cold. In fact, his processes are on average nineteen percent faster than normal, given how quickly he can dissipate heat across his plating.

This last fact, he soon learns, makes him very popular among the Rogue One crew.

Cassian, with whom he has frequent physical contact, realizes it first, though he doesn’t act on the information except when they’re alone in his quarters. K-2 will put an arm around his shoulders to offer comfort, and Cassian will relax into Kay with a small sigh of contentment as the heat loosens his muscles.

K-2 wishes Cassian would do it more often. He would like to believe that it’s because Cassian, having been born on an ice planet, is used to the cold. However, K-2 is nothing if not realistic, and it’s more likely that Cassian just doesn’t consider his own comfort worth bothering over.

Jyn is the second one to figure it out, and she takes shameless advantage once he allows her into his space. She sits pressed against his side in the mess hall, in briefings they both happen to attend, on transports. He stores a file of her image, asleep against his side and rudely drooling onto his chassis. He has enough memory space to spare for a little blackmail.

Bodhi’s next. K-2’s helping him repair a ship, standing close to allow both to look up into an open access panel. They reach for the same loose wire and Bodhi pushes against K-2’s chest plate for leverage. He jerks away when he registers the warmth, apparently unaware that he hadn’t been pushing against the ship’s hull. His muttered apologies confuse K-2. There’s no way Bodhi could have damaged K-2; his mass is less than Cassian’s and would have to reach nearly terminal velocity before it could damage K-2’s plating. The moment passes, but Bodhi keeps glancing in K-2’s direction, keeping a measured distance between them.

The longer they spend in the ship’s wiring, the colder it seems to get, Bodhi’s breath appearing as a huff of white in front of his mouth and his fingers shaking against the delicate circuitry they’re trying to repair. K-2 considers his options for a moment, finally settling on stepping within Bodhi’s reach and gesturing between them.

“It will be much more efficient if you allow me to keep you warm.”

Bodhi hesitates, looking at K-2 carefully before leaning into the heat with a barely audible groan. “Sorry. I just - I don’t want you to feel obligated. You’re not a glorified heating unit, you know?”

“If you treated me like one, I wouldn’t be doing this,” K-2 responds, more pleased than he’ll admit.

After that, they reach a tentative agreement, though Bodhi never fails to thank K-2 for sharing his warmth. It doesn’t seem to matter that K-2 would produce the heat even if no one were there to benefit from it; the intention is clear.

For the most part, the Guardians keep each other warm. Of course, as devoted as they are, they can’t spend every minute of the day together, especially once Chirrut starts working with Skywalker. Baze spends that time split between leading physical training sessions, building and maintaining heavy weapons, and food preparation. One day, when K-2 delivers a small crate of preserved fish to the kitchens, Baze stands close to inspect it. He pauses, looks up at K-2, and says nothing, but from then on, if they happen to be in the same space, he stands a bit closer than he otherwise would.

Chirrut, when without his husband, can find K-2 and make a beeline towards him with such accuracy that K-2 questions just how blind he is. Still, K-2 is careful not to move too suddenly. Besides that, he finds that he enjoys Chirrut’s rambling stories, no matter how little faith he puts in this ‘Force’ that everyone’s suddenly enamored with, so they both benefit from their time together.

Once his teammates have all discovered his warmth and asked him to share it, K-2 calculates that he has experienced more physical contact in a month than he has in the previous year. And it’s the first time with anyone other than Cassian.

The novelty is enough to process, at first, that he doesn’t notice the differences. After that he notices _all_ the differences, from the varying body sizes and shapes of his comrades, to their kinetic patterns and their preferences for position, duration of contact, and amount of movement.

It’s only after he’s familiar with all of them, all of their bodies, that he begins to notice his own reactions. He develops a protectiveness for all of them, and enjoys being able to give comfort merely with his presence. It’s satisfying in a way he hadn’t considered before, and probably contrary to his programming, but there are many contradictory things in his programming that he’s come to terms with over the years.

The second thing he discovers is that his feelings about touch are not all the same. Touching his four new companions gives him a steady contentment. Touching Cassian…

K-2 isn’t sure if it’s a constant he’s only  discovered now that he has a basis for comparison, or if the depth and intensity of his feelings are new. When his hand closes around Cassian’s shoulder, he wants to pull him close. When he pulls him close, it’s like there’s a buildup of static charge just under his plating, urging him to get closer still.

He projects several of the more likely scenarios of experiencing romantic and sexual intimacy with Cassian. A few of them build up enough charge that he almost goes into overload.

Well. At least he knows he isn’t imagining that, now.

It’s rather a moot point since Cassian has been exploring a romantic (and, K-2 presumes, sexual) relationship with Bodhi. It seems to be in a delicate stage and even it it wasn’t, he has no illusions that a droid would be an appealing partner for a human with other options.

The last thing K-2 discovers is that despite his own unfulfilled desires, he doesn’t resent Bodhi. He’s resented other people who were good for Cassian - just because he recognized the need for them in his friend’s life didn’t mean he had to like it - but Bodhi is different.

K-2 is maintaining a snow speeder one afternoon when the pilot finds him. He appears nervous, which isn’t unusual, but there’s a determination to the set of his face that sends K-2 into a set of extrapolations, attempting to anticipate what has caused the change.

Bodhi stops a few feet away, waiting for K-2 to look up from his work. It’s unnecessary; K-2 has the capacity to complete several processes at once, including carrying on a conversation, but he has found that organics respond better when he appears to be looking at them when they speak. He doesn’t always bother with the accommodation, but for Cassian’s friends (his friends), he makes the exception.

Clearing his throat and shuffling his feet, Bodhi nods once (to himself, it appears) before opening his mouth.

“I think we should maybe talk. About, um. About Cassian.”

K-2 checks the Alliance holonet for communiques or assignments, but finds none that involve Cassian. Has he been reassigned without documentation? Draven occasionally does that, much to K-2’s displeasure. “If there’s a new mission, I don’t have any information about it. Cassian was on base last I saw.” His algorithms simulate another possibility, and his processes accelerate in alarm.. “Has there been an accident?”

“No, I mean about _you_ and Cassian.”

“Oh.” K-2’s processes pause and then veer sharply in a different direction. Apparently he hasn’t been as discreet about his feelings as he’d thought. (Well, there had to be _some_ downside to having more than one human paying attention to him as a friend.) K-2 doesn’t understand the need for the conversation, though. He himself had encouraged Bodhi to pursue Cassian, so surely it is implicit that he approves?

Then again, Bodhi is very good at giving clear, explicit directions, so perhaps he simply wants to clarify the parameters of their respective relationships.

“Your pursuit of a romantic relationship with Cassian has been good for you both,” K-2 says. “I will not interfere.”

Bodhi rubs his hand across the back of his neck. “I'm not explaining this properly. I just want - I want Cassian to be _happy_ , and you too. Kriff, there's enough to worry about out there.” Bodhi gestures vaguely, encapsulating what, K-2 isn't sure. The universe, perhaps. “We shouldn’t waste a chance at being happy. Does that make any sense?”

K-2 tilts his head by a few degrees and considers that he may need to use different behavior prediction subroutines for Bodhi.

“Are you saying you think I _should_ interfere?”

“I’m saying, kriff, look I guess I’m saying that you shouldn’t use _me_ as an excuse.” Bodhi’s voice rises steadily, and he moves forward as he speaks, ending up crowded into K-2’s space with a hand pressed to his chest plate. He speaks more softly then, glancing around to make sure that no one had been witness to his outburst. “I’m just saying that you’re not the only one who’s pushing aside feelings that they don't want to admit to.” He sighs, looking up into K-2’s face. “You should talk to Cassian. Soon.”

With that he turns and walks away, a slight hesitation in his step as if he means to turn around and add another comment but then thinks better of it.

One of K-2’s processes begins the task of incorporating the last few minutes into his index of Bodhi’s decisions. Another goes back to finishing the maintenance. Which leaves quite a lot of processing power with nothing to do but think about Cassian, re-examine his friend’s behavior, and simulate a large number of highly unlikely but very pleasing scenarios.

Once again, Bodhi has made his life more complicated.

* * *

Bodhi’s not used to this yet. Getting to be with Cassian, to touch him without immediately pulling away is a novelty. The fact that he’s very much aware of someone else’s desire to touch Cassian is something new also. Compounding that with the realization that he very much doesn’t mind the thought of a certain droid touching his - boyfriend? partner? - whatever they are, well, he’s certainly confused.

So confused, apparently, that Cassian notices, and regrettably stops the wonderful things that he had been doing to Bodhi’s neck.

“You all right?” he murmurs, concern in his eyes and the small crease between his brows.

Bodhi groans, deliberately forcing his mind back to focus on the important things, like slipping his hands up under Cassian’s shirt. “It’s nothing. Listen, I can’t help it if you’re distracting.” He’s trying for coy, but probably lands somewhere closer to awkward.

Cassian smiles, brighter than he’s used to. It goes a long way toward slowing down the doubts that circulate through Bodhi’s brain sometimes; that Cassian could find someone better, someone braver or smarter. Someone that hadn’t taken so long to figure out which was the right side to be on.

Now he’s gotten distracted again.

Cassian stills, looking at him with concern. He cups the side of Bodhi’s face in one hand, gently urging Bodhi to look at him. “Lost you again there. What’s going on?”

Bodhi sighs, resting his forehead against Cassian’s shoulder and sliding his hands free from Cassian’s shirt. “Sorry. I promise I’m not trying to ignore you. I’ve just…” He pulls back, looking into Cassian’s eyes for reassurance. “I’ve been thinking.”

Cassian nods encouragingly and laces his fingers with Bodhi’s.

“I had a talk with K-2 the other day.”

He watches Cassian carefully, trying to gauge his reaction. A difficult task when dealing with a spy, but he tries nonetheless. Deciding that the direct approach is probably going to be best, Bodhi closes his eyes and just says what’s on his mind.

“You and K-2, you’re close, right?”

Cassian blinks, frowns slightly. “Yeah.”

“Well, I think, maybe K-2 has been wanting something _more_. Have you, um, have you two ever considered...?”

Bodhi’s sure that his face is turning red, brown skin be damned, he can feel his ears burning. He’s waiting for some kind of reaction, any indication of what Cassian’s thinking. He’s trying to help, but it’s starting to feel like he’s actually doing the opposite.

Then, because he’s made of poor decisions, he blurts out, “I think he has feelings for you.”

The words seem to drop, a strange silence settling in the room.

Cassian pulls back, frown deepening, and he looks at Bodhi like an op gone sideways.

“Bodhi...do you not want-” He cuts himself off. “I thought-” Sighs and scrubs his hands over his face. Starts over. “Why are you telling me this?”

Bodhi opens his mouth, willing the right words to come to his lips, but what can he say to follow that revelation? _Hey, you know that droid that’s been your best friend for the past force knows how many years? Yeah, he’s probably in love with you. Congratulations!_ He feels like the galaxy’s biggest idiot.

He brings their linked hands up to his mouth, pressing his lips against Cassian’s knuckles.

“You know I just want you to be happy, right? Whether that means, well, whatever that means.” He’s screwing this up. “I’m not saying I don’t want you, want _this_.” He gestures between them. “Stars, you make me feel like-” Bodhi spreads his hands out, trying to convey the vastness of his emotions, how being around Cassian has filled up the hollow places he forgot existed. “You make me feel like I matter, like I’m important to you. I’m telling you because, well, I think - I feel like. You have feelings for K-2 also. And if you do, well, you should tell him.”

“You are important to me.” Cassian says it quietly, but with an fervor that pins Bodhi to the spot. He brushes a strand of hair from Bodhi’s face. “You make me feel alive in ways nobody else does.”

Bodhi can’t help the smile that turns up the edges of his mouth, or how light that makes him feel despite the underlying implication that Cassian is somehow less without him. He can’t change things that happened before they met, no matter how much he wishes he could.

Cassian looks away, then down at their hands. “Kay and I talked about a relationship before, actually. Nothing happened because he only wanted it for my benefit, not as something mutual.” He levels a considering look at Bodhi. “But you think that’s different now?”

Bodhi leans into Cassian’s space, giving up his hands in favor of wrapping his arms around Cassian’s waist. Some part of him feels like he’s floating away, and he needs to ground himself. Cassian’s arms come up around him and that helps, too. “I think that, the way he looks at you… Well, everything’s different now. We could have - we _should_ have died. So maybe some things are more important, things that we didn’t realize before. Maybe it’s worth taking a chance.”

Bodhi pulls Cassian against him more tightly, just for a second, before letting go and stepping away. “Maybe you make _him_ feel alive. What do I know? You should ask him.”

Cassian’s face says that he would rather do quite a lot of other things instead, like cleaning the carbon scoring from every single Alliance ship by himself. He sighs and meets Bodhi’s eyes with a rueful smile. “You’re probably right.”

Bodhi cracks a grin. “Hey, even a broken chrono is right once a day. Had to happen eventually.”

Cassian snorts and steps closer, settling a hand at Bodhi’s waist. “The only times I’ve heard you be wrong is when you’re doubting yourself.”

Bodhi frowns slightly, thinking back on all the wrong choices he’s made and how they led him to this point.

Cassian leans forward until their foreheads meet. “We’ve got a little while before anyone comes looking for us.”

He looks into Cassian’s eyes and decides he’d make all those same choices again if they brought him here, to chances of his own. “Well, we should probably make the most of it.”

Feeling Cassian’s smile against his mouth makes the kiss even sweeter.

* * *

It’s not until a week later that Cassian actually has the chance to get K-2 alone so he can broach the subject. The whole base has been more active recently, which probably means nothing good coming, and Cassian’s not excluded from that. Meeting contacts, gathering intel - he’s been off base more often than on and it’s starting to wear on him.

When the opportunity comes up, Cassian decides to take advantage of a quiet evening. They settle down in Cassian’s quarters, K-2 with some tech scraps that he’s been attempting to repurpose and Cassian with some reports that he was probably supposed to file ages ago. K-2 sits on the bed, his long legs an awkward fit on the small frame, and Cassian pulls his desk chair up, leaning into K-2’s steady warmth. It takes him a few minutes to realize that K-2 isn’t working, but is instead watching him very carefully.

He clears his throat, turning his face up to look into K-2’s optics.

“Something on your mind?” he asks, bracing himself for Kay’s blunt honesty.

K-2’s optics dart away, answering the question before he speaks. “There are approximately twenty-eight things on my mind, depending on categorization criteria and not counting standard operating processes.”

Cassian looks at K-2, one eyebrow rising toward his hairline. He’s used to Kay’s deflections. “This is why they don’t let you go undercover with me. You’re a terrible liar, you know.”

“And whose fault is that?”

Cassian bristles, wounded by the idea that K-2 blames him for some imagined inadequacy. “Don’t put that on me. You’ve never blamed your programming for your actions before, don’t start now. Besides, we both know you’re more than a program. You always have been.”

Kay sighs and throws up his hands. “Ugh. Fine. Bodhi thinks I should talk to you. About feelings.”

Dropping his head into his hands, Cassian mumbles, “Yeah, he talked to me about it too.” He gives a half hearted laugh. “He thinks you have feelings for me. Romantic feelings,” he amends before Kay can try to deflect again.

K-2 stares at him for a second before dimming his optics. “I still don’t know if this qualifies as romantic attraction, but I have discovered that my reactions to physical contact with you are not the same as my reactions to contact with other organics. I find that I desire more intimate contact.”

The words land heavily in Cassian’s chest. He hasn’t thought of the possibility that the only things to have changed for K-2 would be his physical desires. It cracks something open in him, something now sharp and ragged.

“ _What else is new._ ” He mutters under his breath, well aware that K-2 can still hear him. It doesn’t matter. Looking up from his hands, he spits, “So, what, you want to fuck me?” He pushes up from the chair, needing to put some distance between them before he does something stupid. “Might as well get some benefit out of our friendship, right?”

He can hear K-2 shifting on the mattress behind him.

“I’m not explaining this well,” the droid sighs, frustrated. “Yes, I desire a sexual relationship with you. No, I cannot define my feelings for you, because even the best definitions I can find are circular or untenably vague. I can say that when I thought we were all going to die, the last thing I did was simulate your survival.”

Cassian closes his eyes, remembering back to that cold vault, his own voice echoing back at him as he called out Kay’s name. That moment, above all the others they’ve shared over the years, that moment was when he realized just how much Kay meant to him. Is it too much to ask for the same feelings in return?

“I thought you knew that I value you above all else,” Kay says, quieter. “I’m sorry about this conversation. Would you like me to delete it from my memory banks?”

Cassian turns back to face K-2. He doesn’t know what to say. He can’t explain emotion any better than Kay’s research has. Force knows he’s just as confused about what he’s supposed to feel, and he has the benefit of being human. Leaning back against the wall heavily, Cassian crosses his arms in front of his chest.

“No, I don’t want that, Kay. I want… I want to understand you. And even if you do forget this, I won’t be able to. But I can’t be some experiment in sexuality for you.” _Haven’t I given enough of myself away yet?_

“You’re not an experiment to me.” K-2 shakes his head. “If you don’t want a sexual relationship, then we won’t have one, and I won’t resent that. I told you in the interest of better information for everyone, not to try to coerce you.”

Cassian lets his arms drop. This conversation is not going the way he thought it would. “Part of the problem is, the idea of this...between us. I’ve wanted it. But I can’t separate the two things anymore - I’ve done too much of that.”He steps forward, resting his hand on K-2’s shoulder. “I don’t want to regret anything with you.”

Kay slowly covers Cassian’s hand with his own, watching his reactions. When he makes contact, the feel of those gentle, metal fingers calms something in Cassian. Whatever misgivings he has about how this will turn out, he can’t stop feeling like something’s set right when he’s with Kay.

Just then, the door to Cassian’s quarters slides open and Bodhi walks in, his eyes concentrating on the datapad in his hands.

“Hey, Cass. Draven’s looking for some report you’re supposed to have turned in. He says you’re not answering your comm.”

Cassian can sense K-2 turning his head to stare at Bodhi, just like he is. Neither of them move.

Bodhi looks up, stumbling a bit when he see’s K-2’s feet in front of his own. His eyes dart between the two of them in surprise.

“Oh. OH. Nevermind, I’ll just. Yeah. Carry on with what you were doing. Uh, pretend I was never here.” Bodhi tries to shoot a hidden thumbs up at Cassian, biting his lip against the grin threatening to form.

“Bodhi, I would actually rather you were present, since you are a third party to this arrangement.” He pauses. “If it’s alright with you, Cassian.”

Raising his hands as if to push the suggestion away, Bodhi starts backing out of the room. “No, you don’t need me here for anything.”

Cassian reaches out, grasping for Bodhi’s hand. “Kay’s right. Besides, you’re the only reason we got this far.” _Without you to pull my head out of my ass, it might have been years._ He looks back at K-2. “We should all talk. Set some boundaries, maybe.”

Bodhi stops, Cassian’s fingers curling around his wrist like a tether. How fitting that they’re strung together like this, Kay touching him and him touching Bodhi. Like alternating current.

Bodhi’s smile dims. “Okay, sure. Is everything okay with you two?”

There’s a long pause.

“We have encountered an obstacle, namely that I cannot define or explain my feelings beyond very broad terms,” K-2 says. Cassian waits a beat for him to add more, but he doesn’t. Either Kay is trying to spare Cassian’s dignity, or he simply doesn’t view Cassian’s feelings as a problem.

Cassian’s surprised by how much that means to him, that K-2 would curb his tendency to overshare.

Looking between Cassian and K-2, Bodhi steps further into the room, the door sliding shut behind him. “Maybe you could start by explaining your feelings for someone else. Like, how do you feel about Jyn? Or me?”

K-2 looks at him, considering.

“Jyn can be very irritating,” he starts. “But I also feel protective towards her. And sometimes I even enjoy her company, when she isn’t being reckless. She made Draven grind his teeth at our last briefing,” he concludes, and Cassian bites back a snort.

Realizing that this conversation is going to take a while, Cassian tugs on Bodhi’s hand. “Speaking of Draven, I’d better contact him before he sends someone else out looking for me. Why don’t you have a seat.” Cassian taps out a message on his datapad and tosses it onto the desk while Bodhi sits in the chair that he had moved over by the bed earlier.

 _The last thing I need is for this conversation to get spread around base._ Turning back toward the center of the room, Cassian realizes that he has left himself with nowhere to sit, except on the bed right next to K-2. He hesitates, then chastises himself for being a coward. He walks over to the bed and sits, settling his hands on his knees. It seems like a safe place to put them for the time being.

Once he’s settled, K-2 speaks. “I enjoy your company, Bodhi, ninety-one percent of the time. I appreciate your input in a variety of matters, though not regarding unstable hyperdrive modifications.” He pauses, thinking. “To keep you from harm I would use violence against anyone except Cassian.”

Bodhi looks down at his hands, a faint tinge of red staining his ears. Some of the tenseness in his body eases. “That’s - probably one of the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me, as odd as that sounds. Thank you, Kay.”

Cassian watches them fondly. K-2’s approval of Bodhi gives him a strange sense of pride. He wants them to like each other, and not just because of him. If anything, Bodhi’s reaction to this whole situation has only served to accelerate Cassian’s feelings for him. If he’s being honest, it scares him how much he cares what Bodhi thinks. Probably just as much as he cares what K-2 thinks.

Bodhi pulls his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. “Now, what do you feel for Cassian?”

Glowing optics turn to Cassian. He swallows.

“I still haven’t simulated anything that I would not do to protect you. I feel anger towards everything that threatens you. I feel angry with you when you rush into danger, too, though you knew that. It always scares me. It’s a little better when I’m there but even then I can’t stop calculating your projected survival rate. When we’re separated those thoughts take over half my processors.

“But when we’re together, everything is different. Better. I’ve been compiling data about that fact for years but I still can’t quantify it. The strongest sense of wellbeing I ever feel is when you smile at me.

“And, as previously discussed, when we touch I experience a static charge that I do not feel at any other time. It makes me want to touch you more.”

Cassian feels frozen in place, trying to process everything Kay’s said. They’re barely inches apart on the bed, but he can’t cross the distance. Not yet.

Bodhi makes a soft noise in his throat. He rests his chin on his knees and smiles ruefully. “I don’t know. I think I’m getting a pretty clear picture of what your feelings for Cassian mean.”

K-2 turns to Bodhi. “Would you consider them romantic in nature?”

Because Bodhi is, as Cassian knows, a quick-thinking and considerate man, he doesn’t scoff at the question. Instead, he looks at K-2 very seriously. “If I were going to describe the way I feel for Cassian, I might use different words, but they would _mean_ the same as yours. And they would mean love.”

Cassian feels like his heart is going to beat out of his chest. Kay turns back to face him, the attention somehow steadying and electrifying at once. K-2 lifts his hand, motions precise and elegant, and cups Cassian’s face, thumb stroking his cheekbone. Cassian knows objectively that those hands were built to destroy things, a tool for the Empire to use to incite fear, but for Cassian his touch is always gentle. The only person who’s ever been more careful with him is Bodhi, and that’s probably only due to the limits of calibration on Kay’s joints.

Kay’s thumb drifts lower to ghost across his lips, and Cassian unconsciously leans into the touch, drawing in a sharp breath.

Bodhi is watching them, an almost sad looking smile on his face. Cassian reaches out to him, lacing their fingers together when Bodhi responds. K-2 turns his head, directing his gaze at Bodhi.

“I am not equipped to kiss him, though that is what seems customary. Would you like-” He pauses, Bodhi taking the lead and finishing his sentence.

“You want me to kiss him?”

K-2 inclines his head. “Assuming you both wish to do so.”

Bodhi ducks his head in embarrassment. “Wanting to kiss Cassian has never been a problem, _stopping_ on the other hand…”

Just as deliberately as he’d initiated contact, K-2 pulls his hand away and nudges Cassian towards Bodhi.

The tension seems to generate an urgency in the air, every touch made more meaningful under K-2’s unblinking gaze. Cassian leans into the kiss, thankful for the welcoming give of Bodhi’s mouth. For all the intensity Cassian feels, the kiss is light. No frantic tongues or biting teeth, just the push and pull of lips and shared breath. It comes to a natural end, with Bodhi smiling against his mouth. He presses their foreheads together briefly, the straight edge of Bodhi’s nose aligned with his own.

Bodhi pulls back, turning toward Kay. He seems to have gained some of his confidence back, judging by the pleased set of his mouth. “Well? Tips, pointers, questions from the panel?”

It is perhaps the wrong thing to say, K-2’s head tilting just enough that Cassian knows he’s calculating a response. He’s not actually expecting the one he gets though.

“Can you describe how it felt?”

Cassian feels his face heat up, but Bodhi just grins. “It felt… soft. Like a meiloorun fruit. He tastes a little like caf, but not enough to bother. It’s familiar at least. His beard is a little rough, but it isn’t irritating. It tickles a bit, though I suppose you don’t know how tickling feels either.” Bodhi pauses, considering. “When I kiss him, I feel like my heart’s too big for my chest. I feel cared for and… and special, because I have his full attention. My mind wanders, thinking of other places I could kiss besides his mouth. I like how he looks after, how his lips seem fuller, like I’ve left my mark there.”

Hoth or not, Cassian feels warm. He briefly considers how he would describe kissing Bodhi, quickly deciding that his vocabulary is lacking.

“I see,” Kay says, and then surprises Cassian yet again with, “Thank you.”

Haltingly, Bodhi asks, “Wh - why did you want to know, anyway?”

“I want to understand romance and sexuality. Or at least aggregate as much data as possible. Perhaps that will allow me to be a better intimate partner.”

A hundred scenarios play out in Cassian’s mind, each more panic inducing than the last, culminating in the words ‘intimate partner’ combined with the sense memory of Kay's fingers on his mouth. He knows he won’t survive Bodhi describing what sex feels like, and there’s a one hundred percent chance that Kay hearing the description will kill him a second time.

Clearing his throat, he says, “Maybe you two can save those conversations for when I’m not around.”

K-2 looks at him, and it doesn’t matter that he has no facial expressions, Cassian would swear that he’s smirking.

“I suppose that can be arranged.”

The droid stands, puts a hand on Cassian’s shoulder. “You two should share physical contact. It will make you feel better.”

“I do enjoy physical contact,” Bodhi says, a hint of laughter in his voice. It makes Cassian want to do something reckless. K-2 would dislike that though, so he settles for tugging Bodhi onto the bed, both of them lying down.

Kay bends his head down to look at them both. “Would you prefer me to leave or stay?”

Cassian opens his mouth to speak, but Bodhi cuts him off. “You should stay.” He rolls onto his side toward Cassian. “Don’t you think?”

“Yeah.” He swallows, caught between the two most important people in his life. “Yes, you should stay.”

K-2 can’t lay on the bed by himself, let alone with two grown men, so he sits on the floor beside it. Cassian reaches over and laces his fingers through K-2’s, bringing their joined hands to rest over his heart. Bodhi shifts closer, his weight against Cassian’s shoulder and his arm across Cassian’s chest. He brushes against their hands hesitantly. K-2 looks from Cassian to Bodhi.

Cassian waits to see what he’ll do, but he just nods at Bodhi. Bodhi lays his hand over top their joined ones and smiles against Cassian’s shoulder.

“This will all work out just fine, just wait and see.”

He’s not doubting himself, so Cassian decides he must be right. They’ll figure it out, eventually.


End file.
